Orange Peel
by Mooncake
Summary: [SasuSaku] Just as fast as they had come, the Akatsuki had left—taking Naruto with them. “No…” Sakura choked out, “Sasuke…Get him…” But it was too late. Horror and tears mixing, Sakura made her decision then. “…Sasuke, I’m going with you to Itachi.”
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, we wish. Naruto—not ours.

**Summary: **When their paths intertwine and the unthinkable happens, Sakura and Sasuke form an unlikely alliance to bring back their teammate from the Akatsuki. The way is long and narrow, but they go on. Breaking barriers and catching tears, they find their love and friendship all over again.

**Orange Peel**

_Coke and Soi_

**Prologue**

As if she were stiff with emotion, Sakura pulled out a seat at her kitchen table and sat herself down. Her eyes were glazed over; she was in another world right now. She was in the world of regret and disappointment, where guilty claws constantly scratched and scarred her heart.

She wasn't strong enough. What had she been doing for the past two and a half years? Thinking she had improved so much, while her boys were so far ahead. What was wrong with her?

She knew the answer. _I'm weak._

After telling that to herself for so long, she had subconsciously developed a habit. Being without them for so long had given her the comforting thoughts of '_I'm stronger now_,' and '_I can watch their backs now_'. But she was wrong. The reunion had brought one conclusion crashing down to her.

_I'm nothing compared to them._

With her gaze fixed on her kitchen's view of the village, she reached across the table to the fruit bowl. She looked down at the laughing children, and the scolding mothers. She hadn't noticed how the sun was already setting, and shadows were already growing long.

_I'm always in the way._

Her fingers lingered over the smooth textures of the fruits.

_I'm always dragging them down. _

She stopped over the cold skin of the orange. It came fresh from the market, and was still glowing of the sunshine it had soaked up.

_They're always ignoring me._ Sakura plucked the orange out of the bowl. _I'm almost at Tsunade-shissou's level, but I'm still not strong enough._ Her movements were becoming sharp and brusque; she tossed the orange in the air and snatched it before it hit the table. _Why can't I do it? Every time I improve, they improve even more. _

She dug her nail into the orange peel.

_What…_, she began.

She pulled her thumb down, ripping the peel with it. Fruity mist burst out, and the sweet scent of citrus put a cover on the dusty atmosphere.

_Am…_ She pulled the peel off the orange, and left it on the table. _I…_ She set to work on another section of the crisp and firm skin. _Doing…?_

She was trembling now. She heard herself sniff. The sound seemed far, far away now.

_I…want to help…_

She held the peeled orange in her hands.

_I want to bring Sasuke-kun back…_

She felt the tears emerging. She was always crying because of them…

_I want to be strong…_

A tear rolled down her cheek, and clung to her chin. Sakura let the soft orange fall from her grip. Her head dropped and her throat made the unique sound it always did when she cried.

"_Why can I only cry alone…?_"

The orange hit the floor with a soft, muffled thump and rolled away.

-

-

His hands slapped down on his thighs as he breathed heavily, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion as he tried to steady himself.

Naruto swallowed and ran his fingers through matted blonde hair. Sweat and dirt told of his hard work, and his hunched form told of his tired state. But after a pause where he rested for a brief moment more, he straightened back up.

Though his breaths were not quite yet back to steady rhythm, the teen managed to raise a seal up to his face. With blue orbs narrowed in the effort, he gasped out a jutsu.

A puff sounded, and smoke foamed out from the ground. A few clones of himself were left behind as it faded away, and Naruto appeared even more worn out than ever; he had been out there training until the sky had darkened into the pale gray of evening, yet, he had not stopped once to rest.

_Sasuke…_

Sudden dizziness overwhelmed him for a minute. He staggered on his feet, weary fingers placed delicately upon his forehead.

As his head began to throb into a massive headache, and the terrain beneath him started to spin, Naruto closed his eyes and considered turning in for the night. He was nearing his limit—he could tell. Thick fog had already taken over his senses, causing him to feel both tired and stupid. But in the soundless ringing that filled his mind, a single memory surfaced, and his eyes snapped open.

Sasuke. In their last encounter. How strong he was.

How strong he had managed to _get. _

Naruto's fists clenched, nails digging into his palm. Determinedly, he shook his head to clear both the desire to rest and the blurriness that hazed him.

_Sasuke, you bastard, _he snarled inwardly. _Teme…_

Two of his clones started on the Rasengan, and the other two on the wind chakra.

He watched them as he forced his limbs to hold, another thought swamping the others and filling him with the sense of stubbornness.

_I will become stronger than you._

-

-

Sasuke barely spared a glance as the door opened with a muffled creak and a narrow beam of light patterned the flooring. He lay there, still and unmoving even as a as dark figure entered to stand a ways off from his bed.

The man set down the tray of food quickly on the table, so that the metal clattered jarringly throughout the room. But opposed to his fierce glaring, Sasuke remained a motionless blank statue.

In the pause that followed, the mere servant of Orochimaru scowled at him with obvious distaste—yet this was not acknowledged by the Uchiha, hinting that he was used to such treatment. Clearly frustrated further, the man backed out and slammed the door.

It was not until the footsteps faded away that Sasuke allowed himself a quick sigh. Sliding his arms away from where they had been folded behind his head, he sat up to gaze at what his usual delivered meal was composed of that night.

His nose wrinkled just the slightest as his eyes fell upon the same soup and fruit that was presented to him on most days; and he reached out to pluck one from the tray, ignoring the steaming bowl next to it.

With his hands closed over an orange, he twisted the plump fruit between slender fingers to balance on his palm.

He wasn't really hungry—it had been a long time since he had felt that properly, as though coming to Orochimaru had somehow dulled his appetite. But he dug into the peel nonetheless, for, if anything, his own entertainment.

Suddenly, his nail caved in too far on one section, and a trickle of juice bubbled to the surface.

Sasuke leaned forward to instinctively lick the sweet droplets from his skin, and noted the faint bitter taste of the peel that had remained. As vaguely as anyone could, he cocked his head at the contrasting flavors.

_It's like I'm peeling away the only layer of protection for the orange._

He examined the rough texture on the outside with consideration, and back to the soft fruit underneath.

_Just like a person… _Eyes narrowed; his grip tightened slightly.

_They put up barriers to protect what's inside._ He relaxed his form, and continued to tear off the covering. _To shield their feelings._

_Because they're fragile…_

He held the unpeeled orange firmly, feeling the exposed delicacy bend under the pressure. It was ready to break at any moment.

_So fragile._

Sasuke stopped, and unfurled his hand. And almost with hesitance, the raven-haired began to separate the slices. _I have a barrier like this. _He didn't want to admit that—to accept that deep in his mind, he was afraid that his own self would be just as bitter.

Or just as sweet.

-

-

It seemed like hours before Sakura finally stood and stoically walked out of the kitchen, and out her front door.

Outside, her footsteps seemed alarmingly loud. She had followed the street down to a narrow and deserted pathway; and though it was already late evening, Sakura's feet never stopped, taking her where they knew she wanted to go.

Eventually, she stopped in front of a bench. There was nothing special about it, really. There was no specific significance to set it apart from any other bench. It had the same, smooth seat and the same faint smell of wood that teased your nose. But this one was placed conveniently by the cobblestone pathway, right on the border of a small forest; and Sakura found herself sitting down without a second thought.

Sakura sighed and leaned back. The sky was darkening rapidly into black, but she only drew her eyes to a weary close.

She was tired of thinking. Tired of blaming herself; giving herself that ongoing mental beating. Just _so_ tired.

She wanted to stop her thoughts and focus on nothing, but the wind pushed against her face and brought strands of her short, pink hair whipping around her.

_Maybe I'll never catch up to them. Maybe I can never help them—_

Suddenly, she did stop her thoughts.

Something was wrong with the wind. It was sharp, and felt strangely hard, in a way only wind can feel hard.

There was chakra in the wind. She was a ninja, of course she'd be able to tell. She slowed her breaths, and listened hard.

Off in the distance, probably deep in the forest somewhere, Sakura heard grunts. Soon following the heavy grunting was heaving panting, and the harsh sounds of cutting winds.

Sakura would have smiled if she wasn't already overwhelmed with the urge to begin bawling.

_So he's still training._

Sakura covered her mouth to keep in the trembling cries.

She listened harder. She could hear his distinct voice now. He was talking to himself, or to his clones.

"Ah! Dammit! So close! I'll try it like that again!"

Sakura held her eyes shut, keeping in those damned tears.

"Alright! Here we go!"

He was so good. How could he keep himself going? _He must be so tired._

The swooshing sounds of the wind chakra got louder.

_Please get it._

It sounded unstable. It got louder and louder, until finally everything fell apart and a great wind swept down on everything. Trees gave way and bent with the wind, while leaves fluttered, littering the place with green decorations.

Sakura had no trouble staying glued to the worn seat of the bench, but her hair and clothes blew around wildly. She sat quietly, listening to Naruto.

She heard him choke back a roar, and tell himself that it was no problem, that he would surely get it the next time. She heard him cry. Sakura shook at the amount of emotion in his voice, and instantly felt the weight of them on her own shoulders.

Why did it always break her heart to hear him cry? She felt the pain with her own tears, but his always multiplied that pain ten-fold.

His cry brought new levels of understanding to Sakura. His pain was her pain. His happiness was her happiness. His desire to bring back the one who seemed like family to them was just as strong as hers. But why were their attitudes so different?

In his cry was determination, stubbornness, and sheer longing. Sakura finally realized. _I don't have to be weak…_

_I don't have to let them get too far ahead of me…_

_I'll work hard too…_

Naruto ended his cry, yelling, "I'm coming for you Sasuke! Just you wait!" The familiar poofs of clones were heard, and Naruto began the difficult process again.

His words—as they always did—tugged at her heart and soul, and she bent forward to contain her trembling. She stood up on the pathway, and with her eyes squeezed tight in feverish emotion, she brought her head back and yelled at the sky from the very bottom of her heart.

She held out her voice as long as possible, knowing that Naruto would hear her and understand. And for a fleeting moment, she thought Sasuke would hear her too.

She stopped, and took quick and short breaths. The gloomy cloud that had been lingering over her the whole day, or even the greater part of the past two and a half years, finally felt completely dissolved away.

"Naruto," Sakura looked up at the dimming sky, and with her face scrunched up in this new feeling, promised, "from now on, I'll work as hard as you!"

Sakura shook her head, clearing herself of the disappointment, regret, and guilt. She wiped her arm over her eyes, and cleared them of the blurry, watery wall against the world.

She had shaken away her tears.

—

**AN: Thank you for reading all this! Sorry if you don't understand the 'orange peel' concept right now, but it will be explained later on. (So you have to read on...XP) **


	2. 1: Trouble on the Horizon

**Warning: Spoilersssss, big time.**

**Note: We've made our own little timeskip, to where the current manga is now. Ah, and we modified scenes in the manga to fit with our story. Mm!**

**Orange Peel**  
_Coke and Soi_

**Chapter 1: Trouble on the Horizon**

—

A bowl of freshly made pork ramen was placed before him. Kakashi mumbled a gloomy 'Itadakimasu' and cracked open his chopsticks. He paused before theatrically lifting his arm to pull his mask down, and pretended not to notice the two pairs of intense eyes almost digging into his face.

Just as he touched the tip of the fabric, and the dramatic silence climaxed, he abruptly put his hand down.

Iruka and Yamato let out a defeated sigh.

"Ah…" Kakashi sighed, "Aren't we getting old? It feels like just yesterday that I was assigned to my cute little team."

Both Iruka and Yamato forgot their mission of seeing beyond the mask, and stared blankly and depressingly in their soup bowls.

Kakashi continued, "And now look at them! One's gone to be one of the most feared and hated ninja in our village, another is probably the prettiest girl in town—with the strength to match it, and one more who has surpassed my very own teacher!"

"That's true…now that I think about it," said Yamato, almost mournfully. "We really are getting old." He settled back in his seat with a rather beaten expression, tugging at his own graying hair as if he could somehow stop it from aging by doing so.

But Iruka smiled a little. "Yes, they're really growing up—especially Naruto." His eyes closed halfway in certain fondness for the blonde boy, and he picked up his abandoned chopsticks from the counter again. "He's getting so much stronger. It really does seem like only yesterday when he was still—HEY!"

His yell caused Yamato to jerk his head around in alarm and then draw back around, cursing as he developed a crick in his neck. But a moment later, he had turned around again to gaze at what had captured Iruka's attention, his mouth rounding into a gape when the sight registered fully in his head. They blinked in disbelief, unable to pull away the function of the gawk from their jaws.

Kakashi was sitting back on the cushioned seat, patting his full stomach. His bowl was empty.

"Hmm?" The silver-haired cocked his head as he took notice of their bulging eyes with light concern, and wondered why the two were looking as though they were dying. But after a minute had passed, with their expressions remaining intact and frozen on their faces, Kakashi just shrugged and whipped out his usual little book.

**…**

Sai couldn't feel his hands anymore. Or his feet, for that matter. That's just how numb he was. You see, Sai was learning about feelings. And lately, Sai has also been learning that maybe his body wasn't so accepting of all these weird new prickly sensations.

Uh-oh. He felt it again; the strange ache in his gut, as if someone had punched him really, really hard. He suddenly thought of Sakura.

And that did it.

Sai stopped mid-thought and belched out gallons and gallons of…vomit. As he puked to his heart's content, he slowly became aware of what the passing civilians must be thinking of him.

And so, Sai, with his tongue sticking out as far way from his mouth as possible, jabbed a finger down his throat and coughed out the rest of his lunch. He finally stood up straight. It was time to analyze the situation, Sai decided.

He sat down on a nearby bench and racked through his brain. So he had thrown up because of the odd feeling in his stomach. He had gotten the odd feeling from some new emotion. He wondered what could have stimulated the new feeling.

_The heavy smell of grilling meat filled his head, and he looked away as the fumes stung his eyes uncomfortably. Sai looked at Ino and Choji reproachfully, how could they handle it so easily? Choji gobbled around five pieces of his favorite seasoned lamb per second; and Ino almost just as fast._

_Every minute or so, the blonde would smack his hand away to stall the enthusiastic eater, yelling at him for not leaving enough for everybody else. Sai wondered if this was how all friends spent their time, and reached for the meat for the first time since arriving._

_An hour or so later, the new trio of friends rolled their way out of Yakiniku Q. But to Sai's surprise—and slight discomfort—Ino clung to him the whole time, chattering nonstop about something or the other. And adding on to his increasing bewilderment was how she would occasionally turn and smile at him for no reason at all._

_By the time Ino stopped ranting about the lack of wildflowers in the forest these days, they were standing on her front porch. Choji had left them sometime around newly bred blue-purple roses, but it was only just then that Sai noticed how alone they were._

_While he was processing this bit of information somewhat uneasily through his mind, Ino reached out to give him a kiss on the cheek. It was a quick one, feather-light and barely skimming his skin; yet Sai felt the spot tingling long after she had flashed him another smile and disappeared into her house._

Sai snapped out of his flashback in a daze. So it was a kiss? Sai thought back to the books he'd practically memorized. A showing of affection? It was annoying, he realized; he wasn't sure of the exact definition of affection.

Just then, a man of the early twenties flashed before him. Adjusting his headband, he monotonously said, "Sai of Team Kakashi. You are requested at the Hokage's Tower immediately."

**…**

When Kakashi pushed open the door, thirty minutes after he was supposed to, he saw his teammates already crowded around Tsunade's desk.

"You're LATE!" cried Sakura and Naruto in unison, and the copy-cat nin marveled at how the two could still time that trademark shout so perfectly.

"Yeah, sorry about that," He shrugged it off in his usual lazy manner, and opened his mouth for the excuse when his former students cut him off, again in that slightly abnormal simultaneous way.

"Don't start!"

Tsunade looked pissed. "Shut up, you two! Don't you want to know why you're here?!"

The group instantly silenced.

"That's more like it. Okay," Tsunade paused, "what I am about to tell you might affect Sakura and Naruto the most; so you two might want to take a seat."

Sakura and Naruto gave her an apprehensive look and sat down on the nearest wooden chairs.

Tsunade took a deep breath, and spoke solemnly, "Uchiha Sasuke has been located."

Sakura contorted her face in a mixed look of joy and anxiety, and Naruto made to say something, but Tsunade continued before anything could be done. "But more importantly, Orochimaru has been killed. And it seems Uchiha Sasuke is the one who killed him."

At this, Tsunade couldn't stop them. Naruto leapt out of his chair, knocking it over in the sudden movement, and shouted, "All right! I knew that bastard would come around! He'll be back in no time now!"

Kakashi chuckled, but immediately fell silent, Sai smiled his smile, and Sakura stared at her teacher unsurely.

Tsunade sighed, "On the contrary, it'll be long before he does. You guys—"

"Huh? What the hell do you mean? How could he not come back now that Orochimaru is gone?!"

"As I was saying, _Naruto_, you guys should know his goal more than anyone. Sasuke is obsessed with getting revenge. He'll try to find Akatsuki to kill his brother, Itachi. You know he won't stop until that man is dead and buried ten feet under."

The group fell silent again.

"I am also to tell you he's gathered a group of dangerous shinobi—they call themselves 'Hebi'. He'll probably use them to keep the other Akatsuki members busy so he can have Itachi all for himself. This information has come from Jiraiya, so we can assume it is true," Tsunade said.

Naruto's eyes were lowered, darkly shadowed by his hair. "So the only way to Sasuke is through him. Damn…damn him! That bastard again…_Uchiha Itachi_."

For a moment, the room was quiet, engulfed in Naruto's calm and solemn anger.

"Shissou, you know what I'm going to ask…We need to go—"

"Go get Sasuke? Force him back?" Tsunade's voice rose. Sakura flinched back, knowing the Godaime's wrath all to well.

Suddenly, Tsunade stopped, and broke into a grin. "I know. I've already made all the arrangements. You four will leave first thing tomorrow morning, at 6 o'clock am." Tsunade grinned wider at their astonished expressions, and added, "You don't know what I had to go through with the Elders to convince them…"

After his moment of shock had passed by, Naruto switched moods in a split second and leapt up, punching the air like an excited little boy. "Yes! Haha! Looks like Obaa-chan here has finally done something right! Sasuke, we're coming!!"

His shout had been so loud that everyone occupying the room had to cover their ears, and even caused the birds perched right outside the window to flutter away in chaos towards their next sitting spot: the nose of the Fourth Hokage.

**…**

Naruto's stomach growled for the fifth time. "Ugh…"

Sai felt unusually pleased with himself when he recognized the emotion that overcame him: irritation.

Kakashi started, "Naruto…Please be a little more considerate of your teammates."

"Ah, but I'm _so _hungry!"

"Maybe we could take a break; rejuvenate and all, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura piped up.

The four's footsteps had indeed become heavier and heavier in the past few hours—they had already been traveling a whole day, nonstop. As they leapt through the forest, they were leaving deeper and deeper shoeprints imprinted on the branches; they needed more energy to push off each tree limb.

Kakashi hesitated and sighed. He suddenly stopped, and jumped down to the ground, landing on a patch of clean grass.

"Here should be good."

Naruto grinned and jumped down into the clearing, immediately huddled himself comfortably in the nook of a nearby tree trunk. He whipped out a styrofoam container of instant ramen from his backpack and began to nibble on the uncooked noodles, looking as though he had never had a more blissful meal.

"Mmm…"

"Naruto, you know that that's really unhealthy, right?"

Naruto ignored Sakura's scowl and munched harder, swiping crumbs off of his lips with his tongue every few bites or so. Exasperated, she rolled her eyes at the look of pleasure on the face. His chewing didn't cease even as Sai settled down next to him, taking out his own cup ramen.

"Try using your brain sometime," said Sai. He quickly performed a mini Suiton jutsu, followed by an intentionally weak Katon to boil the noodles.

Slightly embarrassed, Naruto narrowed his eyes and pretended not to care about the warm, steaming chicken miso flavored ramen, and only snuck occasional looks of longing from the corner of his eye. Though after that, the blonde seemed to gnaw at his ramen a bit less heartedly.

Sakura sighed and turned to Kakashi, "I'm going to scout around and set traps. This is a good place to camp for the night. And turn on the transmitters, just in case. We're getting close to them."

Before Kakashi could nod in agreement, Sakura was gone; her light steps running through the trees and fading away in a silent swoosh.

_She really has grown up… She's nearly as good of a strategist as I am…_ He stopped himself, _No, I can't keep thinking down on myself like that…_

The aging ninja sighed deeply,

_I'm losing my youth and my dignity…_

**…**

It was late, and the sun's rays were rapidly drawing to a close—but Sakura had not yet returned. The three boy-men were itching with impatience.

"Do you think something happened to her?"

"No, she would have sent something through the transmitter," Kakashi assured them, but a thin crease in his mask indicated a frown all the same.

Sai looked doubtful, but Naruto took the comforting words anyway, "Right."

The three sat in tense silence, unusually alert. Concern was heightening their already sharp senses, until they began to wince at the slightest rustling of grass in the breeze. Unconsciously, they had started to expect something to happen—

"_KYAAAA!!_"

It was Sakura's voice.

Kakashi and Sai leapt to their feet at once. Naruto shrieked in alarm before hastily following suit, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

Losing no time, they dashed towards the scream, just barely dodging Sakura's traps with Kakashi's instructions. There seemed to be an innumerable amount of traps; as if Sakura had deliberately set them there.

They jumped over latent strings, ducked from swinging logs, bending into awkward positions to avoid kunai and shuriken that appeared to come from nowhere, and shielded themselves with their bare arms against spontaneous explosions.

Finally, panicked down to their bones, the group burst into another clearing (a dozen or more kunai chasing after them), faintly soot-faced and sporting more than a few bruises and scrapes. Panting, they halted as the end revealed…a widely grinning Sakura.

"Huh?" Naruto stared blankly at his happy, _unharmed_ teammate, eyes rounding owlishly.

"Wha…?" Sai hung his head in perplexity, a streak of dirt across one cheek.

Kakashi was first to regain his calm. His cool, low voice struggled into a normal tone, "Sakura? What happened?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked back and looked baffled at their presence.

The men of the group watched as her eyes darted between a hole in tree she stood by and the clenched fists she held in front of her face. "Uhh…"

Saving her from the trouble of explaining, Sai took a step closer to the inflicted tree. He bent ever closer for a better look.

His mouth would have fell open if he wasn't so accustomed to keeping his lips tightly together.

Amazing. The hole was a perfect circle; he could have gotten out a calculator and calculated the circumference over the diameter to be exactly 3.14159…

He peered through the hole, and his mouth did fall open. Every tree, every obstacle directly behind the tree had the exact same hole. Whatever had wounded the first tree that gone through everything after it. Sai gaped mentally at how strong the blow must have been.

He turned slowly to face Sakura.

"Did you do this?"

She smiled sheepishly and flashed him a childish peace sign.

**…**

Karin beamed with pleasure as she looked down at her new uniform. _You have to admit; it looks damn good on me…_

She then turned her attention to Sasuke, lips curling up into a smile and her eyes glimmering with infatuation.

"You look great in that, Sasu—" She caught Suigetsu's gaze and stopped. "What, freak-face?"

Suigetsu smirked—though it turned out to be more of a leer—and shook his head in mock astonishment. "Seriously, your attitude completely changes when you're talking to that bastard."

Karin cast a startled look towards Sasuke at the name-calling, but their leader showed no reaction.

"Watch what you say!" she hissed.

"Pfft. Like he cares."

Juugo shuffled nervously on his feet, as he always did when the two argued. It made him uncomfortable. He took a step closer to Uchiha Sasuke and felt himself calm down a bit.

Finally, Karin mumbled a string of violent swear words and turned sharply away from Suigetsu, signaling that the bickering would be over for now. Suigetsu grinned triumphantly to himself, running his tongue over his teeth smugly.

"Anyway, Saaasuke," her voice leapt up a pitch, "where are we going now? I know just where to go for us to be alone­­­—"

Sasuke didn't respond. Karin stopped with a sudden annoyance. There was no point in talking if no one was listening.

He stood with his back to her, completely unmoving like a wolf scenting its prey, and focusing only on a patch of forest greenery just ahead of them. Karin stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder o claim his attention, but stopped herself just in time. She could physically feel the tense, grim air Sasuke's body was giving off.

"S-Sasuke? What's wrong?" Karin followed his intense gaze to a certain spot among the trees.

Suddenly, Sasuke unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him.

"Damn it," he cursed, barely audible.

**…**

"Are we almost there?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi replied seriously, "Yes. I can sense them from here. Just three kilometers away—directly ahead."

Naruto and Sakura both felt their muscles tight in anxiety and anticipation. Only one word, one name flashed through their minds—_Sasuke…_ They felt as if they were getting so close to their old teammate that they could feel his presence on their skin.

Sakura pulled her gloves up tighter. She was ready. Her training the past month—she was confident. She had trained, practiced day and night. She had worked to improve nonstop, as much as Naruto, if not more.

Sakura smiled at the thought of the new jutsu Naruto had been able to master, and the Fourth had not. She then frowned at the damage, the danger, and horror that the jutsu could bring.

"Naruto…" she began, "about your jutsu…"

Naruto cut her off, "I know what you're going to say. Sakura-chan, I've already told you before. No one knows my body better than me. I can handle it. You believe me, right?"

He then smiled the smile that made it impossible for Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura not to do the same.

Sakura nodded fervently, "Alright! Then I only have one more thing to say!"

"Yeah?"

"You better let me kick his ass today too! Sasuke-kun's made us suffer too much to be let off with just one of your weak punches! He needs a taste of my newly developed 'Thousand Beauties' heel-kick! He'll be begging for me to heal him!"

Naruto burst into laughter so hard; he nearly slipped off the branch. "No problem, Sakura-chaaaaaaaan!"

Kakashi chuckled, and wondered which other jounin in the world had as great kids as he did.

Sakura turned her head back mid-leap, and looked Sai in the eye. "And you'll be there to help us, too, right?"

"Mm!" Sai agreed, glad not to be left out.

Suddenly, Kakashi stopped, rooted on a branch. Silence swept down on them all. Kakashi gave them the universal signal to be quiet and whispered,

"We're here."

**…**

Although she couldn't sense anything, Karin took the clue to take out her own weapon, an elaborate knife that she had taken from the Uchiha weapon stash. Suigetsu followed suit with Zabuza's huge sword, and Juugo moved so he stood directly behind Sasuke.

A moment past, and then the kunoichi finally could detect what Sasuke was so alarmed about.

Footsteps were quickly approaching them. There seemed to be a whole group coming. Karin watched Sasuke grip his sword harder. Did he know the people coming?

She was too afraid to ask; the air around him was getting increasingly murderous.

Just as the suspense was getting too much for Karin, four shinobi leapt onto their cliff clearing. The two groups instantly locked glares.

She watched as Sasuke's handsome face twisted gradually into anger. She noticed their Konoha headbands. So he knew them after all.

Her eyes wandered over the new group. There were three around her age, and another older man positioned behind. The man wore his headband sideways, over his eye, and had uniquely colored hair messily erected everywhere. Of the three younger shinobi, one had dark hair and eyes, surprisingly resembling Sasuke, and another looked the complete opposite. He had bright blond hair and a bright orange outfit. Karin wondered incredulously what kind of ninja would wear such vivid colors, before moving on to the last member of their group.

It was a girl. Karin didn't like the way she was staring so intently at Sasuke, and disliked her more when she realized that the girl was undoubtedly a pretty one. When the wind blew, her strands of rosette hair fell out from behind her ears, framing her face and making her all the more aluminous. Karin frowned and glared harder. What connection did these people have with Sasuke?

It was Bright Boy who spoke first, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke seemed to come to some mental resolve, and his grip on the Kusangi loosened.

The boy continued, "Sasuke, we know you're after Itachi—"

"It's none of your business who I am going after," Sasuke interrupted calmly.

Karin could not help thinking how annoying the girl was, staring at Sasuke though widened emerald-colored eyes, like she was starving to death and he was some kind of five-course feast.

**…**

Naruto felt like whining, "Of course it's our business! What are you thinking, Sasuke? We're like your family! We only want to help you!"

Sasuke's countenance grew darker and colder. "I don't need your help."

At this, Sakura broke off her gaze of her childhood crush and advanced towards the dangerous shinobi. She spoke gravely, "What? You mean you need help from _them_—" she cast a glance at Team Hebi, "—and not us?"

Sasuke's eyes shifted towards another direction, as if he did not want to answer her question. Finally, he looked up, and directly at her.

"Sakura, no."

Team Kakashi tensed at his pithy response and said nothing.

As expected, it wasn't before long that Naruto's control began wavering and his shaky voice roared, "Damn you, _teme_! Are we nothing to you? Are we? Tell me!"

Sasuke again did not reply and stared impassively.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was gone in a second, dashing towards Sasuke in an impressive speed, but obviously nothing compared to the Uchiha prodigy.

Nobody moved as the angered Naruto reached Sasuke, expecting the raised fist to do nothing but swipe at air.

Indeed, Sasuke disappeared, and then reappeared a few steps away. Naruto immediately turned, and with another yell, headed towards him again.

"Sasuke, you bastard! Don't you understand?" Naruto's facial muscles altered in everyway to show his every emotion. "…Don't you understand? Revenge. Revenge! You will never get anything from revenge! Nothing but emptiness! Didn't you already learn that…?"

His voice trailed off to a croaking whisper, and everyone fell into silent seriousness, if they weren't already. Kakashi remembered the time in the tree, where he had failed to warn his young student of the path of an avenger. Sakura felt the familiar tugging sensation as she thought of the night he left..._"Thank you"_.

Yet, Sasuke remained indifferent. He spoke slowly, annoyed that he had to say it again, "Naruto, I don't care. As long as that man dies, I don't care what happens to me. Living in emptiness would be peaceful compared to dying without avenging my family. You are the one who doesn't understand."

Naruto stood still, an incomprehensible look plastered on his face. "Sasuke… Don't be so selfish. It's not just what you care about…we don't want you to live like that!"

Suigetsu, who had been sitting patiently on a rock behind all the drama with Karin and Juugo, finally cut in.

"Look, dude. This Sasuke asshole that you all just love so much… Does. Not. Want. You. Interfering. Capeesh?"

While Sakura and Naruto only stared repulsively, Sai suddenly appeared in front of Suigetsu and gripped his shirt collar. "_You_ are not to interfere," Sai's eyes glinted murderously, "_Capeesh?_"

"Woah, woah… Getting defensive, are we? And what connection do you have with dear Sasuke-kun? Certainly not another teammate, I'm sure. There are three member cells in Konoha, am I right?" Suigetsu saw the distaste growing in Sai's pupils. "Would you happen to be…oh, I don't know…a _replacement_, per chance?"

Sai gripped the shirt tighter, and furled his other hand into a hard, knuckle-whitening fist. He dragged the fist back, ready to punch the odious ninja out of this world. "You bast—"

He felt as though the word had been plucked from his mouth. Sai plunged to the ground on his knees, gripping a kunai that had abruptly been stabbed into his side. It had hit a vital point.

Blood spilled out of Sai's mouth, and splashed onto the dirt of the terrain.

As if it were a signal, Naruto and Sakura sprang into action, Naruto once again dashing towards Sasuke, fist at ready, and Sakura towards Sai, hands already glowing green.

Unfortunately, so had Juugo. He transformed in a split second, into a maliciously twisted face that contained nothing but the desire to perish anyone around. The pattern of the curse spread rapidly covered the surface of his skin, a pattern all too familiar for everyone present.

With the quickest reaction, Kakashi ran forward to meet Juugo and stop him before he could do any harm. Sasuke, breaking his promise, only stood as stoically as he had been, and waited for Naruto to approach into attacking range.

The air of action was all around. Having healed Sai, Sakura was now engaged in a womanly battle with Karin, who had finally found a match of intelligence in Sakura. Recovering fast, Sai was already in speedy hand to hand combat with the Mist nin, Suigetsu. Kakashi, perhaps troubled the most, was left alone to just barely dodge deadly blows from the man known as the origin of the cursed seal.

And of course, creating a well-known scene to the members of Team 7, was Sasuke and Naruto, once again charging at one another.

Sasuke held his Kusanagi with expertise; Naruto held his fist with blinding emotion. They clashed again and again, Sasuke quickly advancing and taking the upper hand.

Sasuke landed another blow with his sword, and landed with his back facing Naruto, not a single breath lost. He spoke calmly as usual, but with a tinge of irritation, "What was that, Naruto? Have you gotten worse since our last meeting? Can you no longer perform ninjutsu? You did not do anything but punch and kick randomly. That was not fighting."

The sounds of the other battles were completely unheard to them. Not even Kakashi's yell of agony from Juugo had drawn their attention away from each other.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto snapped, heatedly wiping blood off his cheek, despite his obviously weakened condition. "That was my fight. I don't need to use any jutsu on you."

"Hn, you haven't changed."

"Hah! That's right!" Naruto pushed himself into a standing position with effort, but did not look the least bit undetermined as he set himself into an improper fighting stance.

"You just don't see it, do you? —How much stronger I am."

With that, Sasuke disappeared again from sight, and drove his Chidori-powered sword under the shoulder blade of his 'closest friend'.

**…**

"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!!" bellowed Juugo, lost in his power.

Kakashi barely had a moment to pause, panting, before disappearing in the only thing keeping him at a distance from Juugo—his speed.

Even in a murderous haze, Juugo could still figure it out. The Leaf nin could not keep up his speed for long. At most, it was a minute before he slowed and Juugo could see him flashing around, rather than just the soft air he disrupted.

He counted to himself, _5…4…3…2…1—_

He purged his enormous, transformed arm into Kakashi's predicted path, and caught the nin by his neck.

A revolting sound came from the Copy nin's throat, a cry of absolute pain and anguish. Faint with exhaustion, Kakashi might have even thought it was worth it to be caught, just so he would no longer have to run.

With Juugo's suffocating grip around his neck, and beaten too brutally to stand anymore, Kakashi knew his end might be near, and could only hope his 'cute little team' would come to his rescue.

But instead of Naruto or Sakura, it was Sai who came.

Juugo was suddenly thrust sideways, attacked by a beautifully painted lion as big as him. With the temporary distraction, Sai was able to grasp the fallen Kakashi, as crumpled as dead shrubbery.

Sai and Kakashi retreated to the side, the ink lion keeping Juugo caged between strong limbs and claws.

Laying Kakashi flat on the ground, Sai fished out a strip of bandage from his pack and tied it around the bloodiest wounds.

"…Is he…?"

Kakashi coughed, closing his eyes weakly, "Yeah. You've probably heard of him. He basically is the cursed seal. His enzymes, anyway."

Before Sai could ask more questions, a gigantic sword, Zabuza's, came flying towards them. Suigetsu had flung it at them, angry that his opponent had deserted him mid-battle.

"Replacement boy, what's wrong?" Suigetsu yelled, when Sai blocked the incoming sword with a summoned ink bear. "Why'd you run?!"

Taking Kakashi with him, Sai run off to the shelter of sharp rocks, on the other side of their battle ground. Suigetsu followed readily, glad for his first battle in a while. They whizzed past Sakura and Karin, locked in combat, both sporting various cuts and bruises.

Sakura stopped in middle of performing a seal, watching the tired Sai dragging her seriously wounded sensei just barely out of Zabuza's successor's reach.

"Hey Pinky! Turning your back on me… Aren't you getting too cocky?" Karin taunted, rushing towards Sakura with an array of weapons held out.

Sakura, with her hands still held out in a seal, quickly finished the first combination of seals that popped in her mind—a genjutsu technique that she had developed on her own, designed to stun the enemy for a short while. She had never used it in battle before.

Sighing in relief, Sakura watched as Karin slumped to the ground, eyes rolled back to the back of her head.

Sakura turned her attention to her troubled teammates.

**…**

Sai was breathing heavily, feeling panic, even through the intense training he had gone through. _Calm…calm down. It's no big deal. This liquid guy isn't as strong as others I've fought._

Kakashi had fallen unconscious, and Sai once again felt alone. Suigetsu was advancing faster than ever, grinning happily at his trapped victims. Sai had no where to run, and, strangely enough, took this moment to sort things through his head.

Since he had first been taken into ROOT, he was alone. His parents were dead, and he remembered nothing of them. Yet, once in a while, he would feel the presence of a mother in his dreams. Everything would be blurred, and it would be hard to even make out the outline of the figure…except the smile. The warm smile. He longed to see it more, but it only appeared in his dream. Impossible, he thought, it was the smile of a mother. And he didn't have a mother.

He was wrong. _The Yamanaka girl…_ The strange queasy feeling that had made him throw up was not the kiss.

Sai was cut off from any further thoughts. Suigetsu's face appeared but an inch away from his face.

"Die," he hissed.

**…**

As loud as a siren, Sakura heard herself scream. Sai fell, Suigetsu smirking above him.

_No…no…_ Sakura ran towards them, as hard as she could. _Sai…Kakashi-sensei…Please be okay…_

Once she reached them, she planted her knees into the ground and put healing chakra into her hands. She paid no attention to Suigetsu, though he stood in sword-length's reach of her.

She worked quickly, following memorized medical procedures and switching between Sai and Kakashi every few moments.

Suddenly, making Sakura all the more frantic, Naruto's cry broke into everyone's attention.

Sakura snapped her head up, getting dizzy from the added panic and fear. Naruto was clutching his shoulder, doubling over in front of a motionless Sasuke. He seemed to be forcing himself not to fall, and to keep his screams and tears of pain inside.

Hands trembling and no longer healing properly, Sakura felt anger bubbling inside her, preparing to explode.

"Damn him!" she swore.

"Hah," Suigetsu laughed, amused, "shouldn't the Leaf be stronger than that? How disappointing."

A second later, Suigetsu was flying through the air, and turning into his liquid form as he banged against the rock wall behind him. "You bitch!" he spat at Sakura, appearing solid again. He wiped the blood off his lips, and massaged the spot Sakura had punched.

"Don't you dare say another word about Konoha!"

"Hmph," Suigetsu tacitly replied.

Sakura set Sai down on the ground, getting up to go to Naruto, but was once again stopped.

"You better watch out," the Mist nin warned enjoyably, laughing to himself.

The monster that had rendered Kakashi unconscious, a feat that not many have accomplished, had broken out of the ink lion's grip and was rushing towards her. Sakura's eyes grew wide in horror.

**…**

Karin's eyes fluttered open, blinking to adapt to the brightness of the day. She swore when a sudden headache overwhelmed her, and clutched her head. "That…damn…bitch!"

She opened her eyes wider to take in the scene in front of her. Shocked, she jumped to her feet.

Juugo, still in his transformed state, was rushing to the pink-haired girl. The girl was standing protectively over two bodies—her teammates; a determined yet scared look taking over her features.

The sheer energy and power that was coming off of Juugo was terrifying her, and it wasn't even directed at her. For once, Karin loathed her particular talent of feeling and noting changes in one's chakra so clearly.

Karin frowned, gripping the inside of her cape for comfort. Juugo could kill everyone here if he wanted to—except Sasuke. She mentally coached herself to calm down; she was strong. She didn't need to be afraid.

But those people. Those Konoha people who want to help Sasuke. They must be his old teammates. What about them? They must mean something to him. Karin thought about Sasuke, who she knew had some sense of caring and love deep in him. _Why isn't he doing anything to save the girl? Save them?_

She kept her breath in, unaware that she was actually worried for a bunch of strangers.

Juugo was nearing the girl. Karin watched as the Bright Boy was desperately trying to stand, though in deep pain, to reach his teammate.

Everything happened in a blur. One second, the Leaf boy was practically crawling towards Pinky, and the next, his eyes glowed red and his chakra changed to pure, violent power. He vanished, and was standing by the girl in less than a second.

The girl fell back in surprise and the boy took a firm stand against Juugo.

Second by second, Bright Boy's appearance was changing, like he had a cursed seal too.

He opened his mouth.

Karin could visibly see his bubbly red chakra, whereas others could only feel and hear the maelstrom-like wind.

He sucked in a chest-full of air.

Everything turned to slow motion.

Sasuke and Suigetsu watched as emotionless as ever.

The boy pushed forward, roaring an earsplitting roar as Juugo neared.

Thrown back on his bottom from the physical power of the roar, Juugo fell, and immediately the pattern skittering over his skin disappeared. He squeezed his eyes closed until the pain bypassed.

Finally his eyes opened, and he took a look around. His eyes landed on a half-dead boy standing crouched in front of a shaken yet powerful-looking girl, and two still bodies lying neatly behind them. He knew what happened.

"Oh…" He pressed his palms on his face. "Oh no…"

There was silence.

"I did it again… I did it again!" Juugo whipped around to Sasuke, "You lied to me! You said…you said you would be my prison!"

Tears flowed uncontrollably down his despairing face. Everyone listened as he cried. Everyone watched as he clumsily stumbled over the Leaf group. "Please…," he begged, on his hands and knees, "Please forgive me!"

Karin felt the tingly sensation in her own eyes as she watched Bright Boy, still standing, unbelievingly—incredibly—_smile_ at the feared, the dangerous monster before him.

His voice was hoarse, "It's okay…I know how it feels…When you're so out of control, so lost…Don't worry. We…don't…blame…you…"

Trailing off, Bright Boy's bright blue eyes grew dull, and he stumbled backwards, falling into the outstretched arms of Pinky.

There was a single moment when no one did anything. No one moved. No one breathed.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the only awake member left of the group got to work, setting down the newest unconscious member gently down with the rest.

Without speaking, Karin walked towards Sasuke, as did Suigetsu and Juugo. They all felt as if the fight was over, though one enemy remained. Team Hebi stood together, watching almost respectfully as the medic nin focused so full-heartedly on her task.

Karin wondered if she would be able to work so tirelessly for Sasuke if she were in the same situation as the girl. She stole a glance at Sasuke, and felt a trace of jealously at what she saw.

It was with a thoughtful gaze as Sasuke watched his old teammate, who Karin figured must have meant a lot to him at some time. Since she had met him, this was the first time she did not see his eyes set in hatred, or just plain darkness.

She was about to break the silence when two new chakra presences appeared out of no where.

There was clapping—the sounds of slow, mocking clapping. Someone was here.

Suigetsu growled, "Who is it? Show yourself!"

There was a short pause before a slimy, deep voice replied, "My…hasn't little Suigetsu-kun grown?"

Finally showing themselves, two dark figures flashed before the group. Hoshigaki Kisame—

And Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura gasped, and her expert medical hands faltered as she recognized the man who had caused Sasuke and Naruto so much trouble.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading again! It's so long! It was actually going to be longer... but we didn't want to scare away readers. XD Anyway, next chapter will be much more exciting. Also, sorry for taking so long of this update... eh,T.T... One more thing: Thanks to Nimble Paws for helping us so much with the summary! Hopefully it's more eye-catching now. And thanks to the seven of you who reviewed the prologue! Until Friday then!**


	3. 2: The First Hit Revised

LONG TIME NO SEE! Before you read, we really have to thank _Tsuki no Hane_ for her—we can assume it's a girl, right?—constructive criticism (I'm serious. We're thanking someone for _pointing out our mistakes!_—Gasp!). This is the revised copy of the 2nd chapter, and god, it took forever to write. My neck still aches from bending over the keyboard so long, you know? But it was all worth it, of course. Ehe. But really, thanks again _Tsuki no Hane_, and I hope you're still reading this story! **-Soi**

Hmm… not much to add, Soi pretty much already covered everything. But I'm really sorry for the long wait. We'll try to get the next chapter up soon… No. Seriously. XD **-Coke**

**Orange Peel**  
_Coke and Soi_

**Chapter 2: The First Hit**

—

Rain began to fall. At first in slow scattered droplets, but then gained speed as a cloudy gray curtain descended down to the earth.

The drops seemed to bounce off the ground louder than usual, and quickly dampened the land into sodden clumps of mud. But despite its growing intensity, Sasuke hardly appeared to notice the change in weather. He continued to gaze ahead almost blankly, even while the icy pellets clouded his vision and slipped down his cheeks. Across from him, Itachi watched him in return, weighing the younger's worth through lazy, slanted eyes.

Not a single breath was passed between them, and silence reigned. It was only the clash of rage and apathy that created the crackle of tension in the air.

Sasuke's widened eyes were like a window into his mind, and everyone present could visibly see the exact moment that something snapped inside him—as easily as a twig—and he lost it.

"_GYAHHHH!_" The battle cry tore out of his throat the moment he began to charge full-speed at his brother. In a flash, he had whipped through the distance and pulled out his Kusangi, the blade raised over his head as he aimed a vicious slash. But as expected, Itachi dodged the blow at the last second so that the silver arc sliced down on empty space, soon followed closely by its owner who landed roughly on both feet.

Immediately, Sasuke skidded to the side and kicked off the ground, throwing himself off course to propel again towards the new direction where Itachi had reappeared. Blue lightening began to flicker over his body as he drew closer; the thin strings of crossing energy caused the atmosphere around to sizzle with the heat of static.

Itachi swerved back from alternating positions to avoid Sasuke's lunges, while Sasuke pursued him with outstretched fists. Both knew only too well that contact would result in some harm, however, in this particular battle, minimal damage was enough to prove fatal in the end.

Sasuke made a threatening noise in his throat, a mixture of a dangerous growl and a heart-felt cry of raw emotion, and lunged himself head-on at Itachi, his Chidori flickering fully across his skin. The cracking noises were now deafening, and though both Team Hebi and Sakura had to wince and cover their ears, Itachi showed no reaction.

It was not until the last possible moment that Itachi could have dodged the nearing blow from Sasuke that he did. He jerked his body sharply away into the world of unmatched speed that was nothing but a slight disturbance in the air to the common eye, and thought, _Chidori channeling throughout his entire body?_

Itachi swerved to avoid a vicious swipe that missed particularly close to him, his eyes lowering half-lidded in thought. _He must have improvised many techniques, and even created his own these past few years. I will not be able to disable the charge by breaking his wrist again…_

Being the Uchiha that he is, Itachi came up with another plan in a quick flash of the blood red Sharingan, and was off again, barely dodging another swipe from Sasuke's lightening-charged arm in time.

Pursuing in fury, it was as if it were the memories of his past that obstructed Sasuke's vision, and not the pouring rain that splashed on his face, pounding down on him in the same rhythm as his heart... Bombarded with images of the night he wished had never happened, the night he wished could be washed away from history as easily as the dirt from the rain, Sasuke let out another violent battle cry, and chased the Itachi that only his eyes could see just then.

His fist punched out, barely a hair's breadth from his opponent's neck. And Itachi pivoted out of the way, black cloak billowing behind him like folds of ink as Sasuke went after him without the slightest hesitation stopping his movements—though his brother was already abnormally fast.

But as quickly as Sasuke's feet seemed to flicker through the air, the lack of contact with Itachi made it apparent that his speed wasn't enough to fully proceed farther than equality. Both of them appeared to realize this too; Sasuke's lunges became fiercer with keen frustration, while Itachi moved through a mite faster before eventually halting in his tracks a good few feet away.

"Your Chidori is impressive…" Itachi complimented tonelessly, sneering as only a man without facial muscles could.

"I don't need praise from you, bastard," the younger retorted. He seemed to have fully caught his breath, hand already sliding towards Kusangi again.

**…**

As the sounds of the long anticipated fight between the Uchiha brothers continued, Suigetsu lifted himself off his sitting spot and advanced towards the other Akatsuki member—as if nothing was going on.

"Hoshigaki Kisame of the Seven Mist Swordsmen. How long I've been waiting for your sword, I don't know," Suigetsu smirked, eyes glinting in satisfaction.

"Ah, little Sui-chan. I've missed you as well," Kisame replied, also forgetting the fighting brothers among them. "It's been so long… too long." He grinned slowly to reveal his teeth, pearly white and sharp against the blend of rain around him.

Immediately, Suigetsu leapt into the air, clearly feeling confident with his element there to enhance his strength; his arm enlarged inhumanly as he drew back the gigantic fist to drive into the Mist Akatsuki, face twisted into one of satisfied glee.

Appearing cynically amused at his attack, Kisame whipped his Samehada shark skin sword, and readied himself for a deadly clash—the kind he would savor the most when the battle would end in his favor…

**…**

Not wasting another second, Sasuke continued his charge, his full-body Chidori never faltering. _I'll get him now_, Sasuke thought.

The static coursing through his body in electric-blue pulses grew more intense with each step closer. Itachi's eyes narrowed at his approach.

Just as Sasuke reached him, Itachi jerked his arm upwards causing his sleeve to slip down, revealing the silver of a kunai held loosely in his hand. Despite his efforts to pull himself out of harm's way, the momentum of his weight could not be deterred.

He instinctively whipped out his arm to keep the kunai from hitting his vital point, and a moment later, his face was an inch away from his brother's. Sasuke was seething, the skin on the bridge of his nose wrinkled and his blood red Sharingan darkened, just happening to match Itachi's own shade of Sharingan. In terms of appearance, they were so alike, yet anyone could tell their differences; one narrowed his eyes coolly, and the other's widened in resentment.

Sasuke could not move and after another moment of simple staring, Itachi ducked below the point where kunai met flesh, and in a swift movement, his fingers swept over Sasuke's arm. Sasuke could no longer feel his chakra rushing in the struck spot.

"Agh!" Sasuke spat, disgusted by his own foolishness.

Not thinking clearly, Sasuke swung his leg around for a powerful, emotion-driven roundhouse kick to meet Itachi's head, but of course, the S-ranked nin dodged by ducking further down. Unforeseen by Sasuke, this put Itachi it the perfect position to once again close his tendon points, this time on his leg.

Thoroughly pissed, Sasuke yanked his hand out of the tiny weapon, paying no attention to the stinging pain and the blood seeping out. He panted heavily for a second, standing the closest he has to his brother in a very, very long time.

Finally Sasuke jumped back, and let his eyes fall closed. What would have blocked the chakra flow of a normal shinobi for at least a few hours took Sasuke only a concentrated look and a small twitch of his body before his chakra burst out in visible swirls of blue.

Itachi barely acknowledged Sasuke's achievement, and resumed his calm standing position.

The younger brandished his Kusangi with smooth ease. Then holding his katana firmly in front of him, he let a not uncharacteristic smirk curve his lips, and suddenly, three snakes with mixed skin colors shot hissing from his sleeve, twisting around his arm and the outstretched sword.

They slithered towards Itachi with their fangs bared, pounding against the ground, their goal to trap and strangle the elder Uchiha. But not surprisingly, before the snakes were even close to touching Itachi, there was a sickening crunch as bones were sliced cleanly out of their place.

And before a minute had ended, the snakes were beheaded; lying in a puddle of blood, and Itachi stood straight yet again and brushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes.

"You have improved," he stated idly, "But can you defeat me?"

Sasuke did not reply, though he was not expected to. His features that had long been sharpened with hatred, now deepened.

Suddenly, a deep, scaly voice interrupted them. "Itachi, we're late—"

"Don't stop in the middle of our fight to chat!" came Suigetsu's irritated roar.

"—and you need to be careful with your eyes. Finish quickly," Kisame concluded, and with a smirk, turned back to his own opponent.

Itachi nodded, and abruptly, Sasuke was jerked backwards with the force of a punch. Itachi's fist in his stomach instantly flooded Sasuke with the memories of what had happened last time they met. Sasuke lurched forward in pain; it was not the power that had caused him to spit blood, but the sheer speed in the attack.

Quickly following up the first punch, Itachi landed another hard blow on Sasuke's head, kicking him sideways. Though Sasuke's blocks were doing nothing to protect himself completely, they provided enough cushion to the hit that it didn't cause fatal damage.

Sasuke gritted his teeth; he couldn't believe he was letting this happen to him! He pushed his mind further for what other attacks and combos he could use to get himself out of the current situation, but nothing came up besides using _it_. _No_, he thought, _I have to save it for late—_

Another strong punch yanked the thought out of his mind, and filled his mouth with cracked teeth and blood. Sasuke couldn't even catch his breath before another kick sent him flying and plunging back to the ground. He knew he needed to stand up fast; he needed to stand up before…

Itachi loomed over him, his shadow setting the stage for the gloomy scene.

Sasuke grimaced; he knew what was coming—

**CRUSH**

And as if just to make sure, Itachi lifted his foot back up and slammed it down on Sasuke a second time, this time even twisting his foot back and forth to smear the grime on the bottom of his sandal deeper into Sasuke's face.

Now Itachi bent down, grabbed Sasuke's shirt, and shoved him back into an upright position. They were now eye to eye, and Sasuke could not do anything when he felt the Sharingan leave his eyes. His chakra was dangerously low; he had never used the Chidori that long, at that power and speed.

Sasuke coughed up more blood—why did he have so much of it?—and did not lower is gaze from the cold orbs that had stared back at him the same way that night, _that_ night.

_Why—still—this gap? _His thoughts didn't come in complete sentences anymore, and even when his brother gripped a firm hand on his chest, Sasuke could only cry out in more incomprehensible death threats. His chest heaved excessively, trying to take in as much oxygen as possible.

Now, another strong, graceful hand locked itself around Sasuke's neck, and he was trapped.

…_Have I not…? Nothing learned…still the same…_

Sasuke's head rebounded off the rough bark from the force of being slammed into the tree. His left eye lid barely able to lift, and a trickle of blood running down from the side of his head, Sasuke still found himself able to glare menacingly into Itachi's eyes, struggling against the grip with his chakra-enforced fists.

_Just…like before. Like—the inn._

Itachi stared with the same unwavering glare, as if to say _'I knew you couldn't do it.'_

Then, with a slight grunt from Itachi and a tiny twitch of his wrist, Sasuke sensed the end of their battle.

In the same painfully slow way that a leaf in autumn flutters down against the breeze, taking its time, Sasuke felt the strength leave from his body. He felt the air being sucked, almost, out of his lungs, and the blood that rushed from his head. He was suddenly losing his sharp vision…

_I must…_

_He must…_

_I can't stop now…_

_It can't be over yet…_

His mind was dizzy, his brain now shutting down, and there was nothing he could do…

_I must…_

_I must…_

The feeling of his breath being obstructed grew stronger, and Sasuke looked down.

_He needs to… He still isn't…_

_I can't go now…_

Itachi's hand over his heart clenched tighter.

_It's…not…_

With the last of his power, Sasuke lifted his seemingly muscle-less arms, and grasped Itachi's strained hand on his chest. Feebly, he began to pull; he pulled almost desperately, trying to break free from Itachi. The last thought:

_This…can't…be…it!_

Sasuke activated the cursed seal, and he was gone.

**…**

"Shit," Sakura cursed under her breath; it was not new to her, with Tsunade and all, though a mere acquaintance might have been surprised by her lack of seriousness at the moment.

But oh, she was very serious.

Sasuke flickered back into view, and with the seal on his shoulder bursting to life, the transformation to the second stage began.

She could not have possibly forgotten the colors, the pattern; that disgustingly familiar pattern that she wished she could just…just destroy. Erase off of his skin. Scrape off, gnaw off, bite off, carve off— _anything_. The fiery markings danced almost delightfully over Sasuke, glowing their own blazing glow. They skittered excitedly, as if happy that their master had called them out again.

Sakura's teeth only clenched tighter at this thought.

_What…the _hell_ was he thinking?_ Sakura was disappointed, above all things. How could he be this stupid? How could he be called a genius, yet be so unbelievably _stupid_? Didn't he realize at all? Sure, he would complete his lifelong goal, and 'avenge' his family. But then what? It just couldn't get through that dense skull of Sasuke's that _there was nothing afterwards_.

Itachi left the Sasuke-shaped dent in the tree before him, and turned to face the monster that had taken his interest.

"Cursed Seal of Heaven, Level Two," Itachi acknowledged.

Sasuke scoffed, and responded further by expanding his hawk-like wings, stretching them as if were relaxed.

And now all Sakura could do was grip Naruto's limp hand harder, shaking with anger. This was incredibly stupid. She couldn't just watch Sasuke throw away his life like this!

The new, transformed Sasuke took a step towards Itachi, and the same, old, calm Itachi took a step towards Sasuke.

Unnaturally proportioned now, Sasuke looked awkward holding his katana. Yet, when he swung it forward with full force, he did it with grace vibrating off every fiber of his skin. A set look in his eye, Itachi bent a little, and slipped into a different stance. And for the first time in a long while, it was a defensive stance.

Closer and closer he was getting, but Itachi made no obvious move to prepare for the clash.

Karin clutched the insides of her cloak in a faint attempt to reassure herself, Juugo ceased his mumbling, and raised his head from his knees, and Suigetsu halted from his battle to watch. There were way too many time-stopping, breath-holding moments for his comfort that day.

With no warning, Itachi's hands suddenly appeared out of his long sleeves and rapidly began forming seals, with soft murmurings of incantations to accompany them, but they all knew it was too late to do anything.

And the moment was there, Sasuke's blade tip was nearing Itachi's chest, and it would be milliseconds before it would puncture Itachi's shell of flesh and bone, finally dragging the traitor, murderer, and who knows what else into the depths of hell…

It was the end…it was over…

Sasuke had no time to relish the moment, that would be for later, because the strong steel tip of his Kusangi was getting so, so, _so_ near…

But it was almost expected, that everything would be brought to a screeching stop and Sasuke would have lost, once again. The way it had happened was could have been seen coming, too. The way Sasuke's focused eyes lost their glint as he froze in mid-air, and letting Itachi make a dignified escape; it was the one sentence—

"_**It wouldn't be **_**you**_** who killed him if you used the cursed seal!**_"

Just one sentence.

**…**

No one looked at Sakura, who had roared those words, in a tone so unlike her, or at least the Sakura that Sasuke remembered. But Sasuke wasn't remembering right now, or even thinking, really. His mind had shut off, and everything around him spun, creating an abstract illusion that only confused him further.

He had never thought of it—killing his brother this way. He had never let himself think that his revenge might not be as fulfilling if it wasn't really him. It was only power. It was anything for power; anything so that the bastard could disappear from this world.

But now he did. And for the first time, regarding his bond of hate between himself and his brother, he hesitated.

_It wouldn't be _you_ who killed him if you used the cursed seal!_

…_Does it matter? No,_ Sasuke wanted to think. But something began to buzz in his ear, and to cloud his thoughts even more. _It doesn't… right?_

He had already said before. He would do anything to kill Itachi, even if it meant giving up his body. But… there was never truly that threat. Sasuke had never planned on letting anyone touch his body before Itachi had fallen. And now, that wasn't even an issue anymore. Orochimaru was gone.

He could sacrifice his body.

He could leave his home.

He could forget his precious people.

_But…_

Could he give up his pride?

He was frozen, he was numb. He was vaguely alerted of his brother, standing still before him, waiting for him to resolve his problems.

And just then, they finally appeared: the flashbacks. Flashing through wildly as usual, Sasuke saw the blood, the drooping shadows, and the eerie blow of the wind—all over again. He was always aware of how high, full, and clear the moon had been that night. How everything was quieter than it should have been, and how the sharp wind blew the trees so harshly that leaves broke off of their stems and swept over the entire clan compound.

Just as easy as that, he felt the hate all over again.

The scent of blood in the air; the scent that would remind him of his hatred from that on.

He was broken that day. He shouldn't have lived on after that day. Sasuke realized now, that he had been fragile on that day. As defenseless, purposeless, useless, and _lifeless_ as that peeled orange had been.

So he needed protection. He needed his line of defenses, his wall of bricks. He needed a reason to live.

Because without it—he was nothing.

His thoughts released that rampage of emotions tumbling into his mind. It both angered him and brought his shame to realize how deep the raw wound had been…and how it still was. Sakura's words had showed him that. All that deep grief was still fresh inside of him as the day his loved ones were ripped from him.

He had been sure. So sure that his actions in the present…were his future too.

But right then, he didn't know. Sakura could have gone and torn him bare to the core, with all the effect that the simple statement had had on him. It was as though he had been climbing down a ladder, confident of where to place his feet with each rhythmic step. Now, he could not find those rungs again. He was frozen at the top, knowing that one wrong move and he'd be falling and falling forever…

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Itachi move—it was nothing more than a quick twitch of an elbow; the faint buckle of the earth shifting while a foot was lifted gently off from above. But it was enough, and Sasuke knew it.

And yet, he found that he couldn't move.

Sure enough, faster than what anyone else could be capable of, Itachi was there in front of Sakura. There was a flash that cut into the air, and she slumped over at once; deep, painful bruises adorning her body, a trickle of thick crimson running from the corner of her lips.

Both winded and startled, Sakura could not react at first as the warmth of the unmoving body was slid from her lap. Her teeth gritted and she reached desperately and stubbornly forward for Naruto with trembling hands. Her fingertips just touched the fabric of his shirt before he was raised from the ground, and the last of her energy gave away. She fell completely to the ground.

Itachi paused to sling the unconscious Naruto over his shoulder. He turned to her, and slyly showed his teeth in the closest thing he would ever come to a smile.

"Haruno Sakura. We are grateful to you for keeping Kyuubi-san in a favorable condition."

Itachi turned, ignoring his stupefied brother, and glided back to Kisame. "Kisame, stop. Let's go."

Kisame chuckled, and lowered his Samehada. "Sorry, kid. Another time, 'kay?"

He left Suigetsu in a heap on the dirty ground, eyelids barely open, and bleeding all over. Karin looked pitifully at his slightly open mouth, the one that had been telling her off just a few hours ago, his tangled limbs, and his beaten chest rising up and down pathetically. He coughed, and managed to gasp out, "You…bastard…"

"Heh, too bad, Sui-chan! You're much stronger than the little kid that used to tag us around, I'll admit. But not strong enough!" Kisame grinned, "Good luck next time!"

Sakura struggled to lift herself back up, bits of gravel and rough dirt scraping her elbows, but she disregarded the painful pricks and focused her attention on the dark figures ahead of her.

"No…" she choked out, "Sasuke…Get him…"

But by the time his eyes flickered back into reality, Itachi had given his last indifferent nod—and the Akatsuki members dissipated in a flurry of their swishing cloaks.

Sasuke collapsed, knees hitting the dirt the exact moment his cursed seal began to retreat. The usual agonizing pain of his bones transforming back was lost to him; Sasuke could only raise his hands against his face and bend down far enough that the tip of his nose touched the ground.

His throat had closed up, and he couldn't even manage a strangled, "No…" at what had happened.

**…**

Sakura held in her tears, remembering her promise a month ago, and forced herself to think of what would happen next. She looked at the defeated Sasuke, her fallen teammates, and Sasuke's own team. Kakashi and Sai were in no position to move on… yet, she knew she had to go after _them_.

Undoubtedly, she thought of what had happened to Gaara, and of what would surely happen to Naruto if she did nothing.

They would use his power, killing him in the process. A shiver ran down her spine, and she thought once again, _No… this can't be happening_.

_I have to get him before it's too late._

_They'll kill him…_

_I have to go…_ She looked at Kakashi and Sai again, _I have to do it myself… _

_Maybe I could…_

Sakura glanced at Sasuke's defeated form, so different from his proud, confident demeanor that he had expressed that morning. She thought of his sudden freeze and his changed pensive countenance when she had shouted those words earlier. Sakura realized she had finally done what she had once considered impossible—she had made the first hit through his deep, emotional barrier.

And before she knew it, the words were out.

"Sasuke," she said, causing him to lift his bowed head,

"…I'm coming with you to Itachi."

--

Huffah, it is done!


	4. 3: The Grave Mistake

** AN: Sorry for the long wait, though we feel like we're ripping you guys off here. We love this chapter, but maybe because only we know what's going to happen next. Hehe.  
**

**Orange Peel**  
_Coke and Soi_

**Chapter 3: The Grave Mistake**

—

_And before she knew it, the words were out._

"_Sasuke," she said, causing him to lift his bowed head,_

"…_I'm coming with you to Itachi."_

—

Silence met her words, save for the uncomfortable shuffle of Juugo's feet. Though it had not been her intention to do so, it seemed as though she had stunned the Sound nins into speechlessness.

Sakura ignored the scrutiny of the gazes being directed at her, and focused on Sasuke instead. However, unlike the others, Sasuke stood with his back to her as he stared out into the mountaintops that protruded into the horizon. He had stood there motionless since Itachi had made his departure, and did not offer any means of acknowledgement now.

As always, Suigetsu was the first to speak up from his place on the ground. "Pfft, what do you think you can do?" he snorted. "You'll only burden us. Joke's over, Pinky." He winced a little in pain and put a hand gingerly on his still-bleeding chest, appearing to lose interest in the current situation as he nursed his wounds.

But Karin quickly followed suit, joining the attack at the strange proposal. "Hate to break it to you, but for once the asshole is right. Who knows if you're just using this as a cover-up to spy on us and tattle to your precious Hokage—you can't expect us to trust you."

Sakura's emerald eyes narrowed at their taunting; nevertheless, she kept them fixed solely on the man before her.

"I… can't just let them take him. I know you don't understand, but…" Her voice was hardly audible in the carrying breeze, nothing more than a soft whisper. But the resolve in her tone seemed to punctuate her words clearly in Sasuke's ears.

Finally, he turned, chin over shoulder with his face so painfully impassive that Sakura almost wanted to reach out and give him a good shake. Still, she held herself. He had always been like that before – it wasn't as if she could change anything.

Everyone waited in anticipation for his response, knowing that it was his alone that would be the final decision.

"Sakura…" he began. The glow of the sunset behind him illuminated his usually pale features, and the shadows of his bangs hung over his eyes.

"Stop," she interrupted suddenly. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that if I don't go with you, I'll still go by myself. And be reasonable—the more of us there are, the harder it'll be for them to stop us."

Sasuke continued as though Sakura had not spoken, "…You cannot… You will not survive. This is far beyond your level."

Offended, Sakura clenched her fists, all stirrings of plea gone from her tone as she snapped at him, "I will get him back. I promised myself that I would never let anything happen to him. I wouldn't be able live with myself if the ones I loved were harmed. Whether or not you believe me, I _will_ get him back."

Turning around abruptly, he swept past her without sparing her a single glance, and stopped above the heap of limbs that was Suigetsu.

"Stop looking so pathetic and pick yourself up. We're going," he said with his usual tone of authority. "Karin, sweep a 5 kilometer radius for large concentrations of chakra."

Karin nodded briskly.

"Anything I can do, Sasuke-sama?" Juugo spoke up, still looking slightly shaken.

"No, just stay close."

Deflated, Juugo sighed as he turned away. "You never let me do anything, Sasuke-sama…" he mumbled without looking up.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin pointed at a sparse grouping of trees that grew slightly apart from the clumped forest behind them. "Over there! Let's go right now—it'll be harder to travel through these dense grounds after nightfall."

Sasuke's gaze followed her finger, and he nodded in approval. "Aa. We will leave immediately."

Sakura saw a trace of a smirk on Karin that seemed to be directed at her, as the redhead leapt to join the team formation. She watched in silence as the Sound Team organized themselves with Sasuke in front and Juugo close behind him; Suigetsu came next with some effort, Karin bringing up the rear.

"Take it easy for now, Suigetsu. But as soon as we reach the next village and treat your wounds—we depart at top speed."

Karin reluctantly allowed Suigetsu to drape a limp arm around her shoulders. He groaned in exaggerated pain at her rough grip, and swore insults under his breath.

"Argh. Bitch! Watch it!" he snarled when she jostled him forcefully to 'make him more comfortable'.

Dismissing Sakura's presence completely now, the group took off at a slower pace than usual. Sakura glared at Sasuke's retreating back, growing smaller and smaller with each step they took.

_Damnit! He's leaving again! _She dragged herself slowly to her feet, pink hair falling over her face to add to her menacing aura.

_Again!_

…_It's always the same._

_Again!_

Her fists clenched, her chin lifted further to reveal her hardened eyes as she fully straightened. The group was almost out of sight, and Sakura felt her rage grow to an unbearable point.

…"_This is way beyond your level."_

_He was just leaving her grasp, and she couldn't let it happen again…_

_No! Not again! _

She gritted her teeth. I can't let him leave this time!

"_SHANNAAAARO!_"Sakura roared, voice shaking, "You don't know what I'm capable of!"

**SMASH!**

The rock underneath splintered around her fist, sending a shockwave throughout the battered terrain of the cliff. Gathering speed as the earth gave away and cracked in a massive expanse, large craters burst from the ground and collided into each other with the force of the blow. Billowing dust in great clouds of debris fogged her vision.

Sakura felt the ground slide beneath her feet, and her step faltered. At first she thought it was simply an aftereffect of her punch— but the swooping sensation in her stomach continued, her footing not regained.

Suddenly, her sight cleared to a startling blur of reddened sky and large chunks of rock tumbling down with her. She had sunken below the dust clouds—and realized in a sudden pang of regret that she had made a grave mistake.

The cliff was collapsing, shattering into an avalanche of dirt, dust, and gravel.

_Crap…I must've over shot my punch a bit…_

The thought was disrupted by a sudden thud on Sakura's chest as another flailing chunk of rock hit her, nearly knocking her into unconsciousness. Although momentarily winded by its weight crushing her chest, her determination kept her alert, and her trained body instantaneously knew what to do.

Grabbing onto the biggest rocks only, Sakura secured firm holds on either side of the jagged ends, heaving upwards with all her strength to pull herself safely on top. Not stopping for a moment's pause, she had already tightened her grip on the next rock slightly above her. And with a grunt and an almighty swing, she had made it to its surface as well.

Though desperate, Sakura could tell that she was not making progress. The rocks were falling much faster than her upward climb, and at most, her effort had only allowed her to stay in the same spot.

Her arms now ached, but still, she persisted. To cease her attempts would result in death, and Sakura wanted to avoid that until every last opportunity had left her. Strengthening from new resolve, her hand reached for the incoming stepping stone with increased power, and as soon as it fell to eye level, Sakura lifted herself onto it. She was just reaching for another one when her gaze landed on something by her feet – something black and hairy.

Sakura froze, her arms still stretched before her as the caterpillar inched forward, leaving a trail of slime behind it. The movement caused her eyes to widen with the sight of the large bug crawling towards her, and Sakura instinctively screamed.

Hesitation was her second mistake, and she noticed too late that a yucky bug was nothing compared to her life. A little too late, Sakura reached out for the incoming rock. Slipping at the sudden tilt of her

Faster than she could even contemplate what was going on, the rock tilted as it continued falling down, bringing her with it. Hesitation had been her second mistake, and she noticed too late that a yucky bug was nothing compared to her life. A little too late, Sakura reached out for the incoming rock with frantic fingers, barely registering her terror before she was flung backwards.

The ground below looming ever closer from the long drop, Sakura began the hurl to her death.

_Is…this…the end?_

_No…I don't want to go yet…_

Her vision blurred, and she raised her arm with increasing difficulty against the resistance of sinking wind. She felt frozen in midair, as though suspended in timeless grace and flight with a welcoming lightness spreading to her toes. It was almost surreal; the fall caused strands of pink hair to flow after her body, and it blew away most of her senses with it.

_I still have so much I want to see…_

…_So much I wanted to do…_

_To marry before Ino..._

_Tell Mother I love her…_

…_and Tsunade-shissou, thank her…_

In the silence of her frozen lapse in air, a single tear was barely squeezed out from her fluttering eyelids before the speed of the wind whipped it away. So shallow were her breaths, they could have faded into nothing.

_I wish…_

_I wish I could've seen Naruto become Hokage…_

And then she really couldn't breathe.

_I wish…I wish I could've seen Sasuke in Konoha…one more time…_

Sakura closed her eyes as she waited for her seemingly inevitable end. Feeling herself fall into the rhythm of the smooth wind, her ears pricked at once to the abrupt sound that disrupted the sync.

She found it too effortful to snap open her eyes as her sharp instincts were telling her, and instead let the grip of a rough hand tighten around her slim wrist. Not alarmed at all, she let Sasuke's heavy panting breach the air around her as he pulled her up and held her waist firmly from behind, his strong arms sure and secure.

A sigh of relief was not necessary.

It wasn't any more than common sense. This thought had long since been planted into her mind, and it would take much more than a few years of summoned determination and intense training to scrap it all away. She couldn't die then, and she knew it.

Never, not when he was right there.

—

**AN: BAM! Short chapter but we love it (wow we're modest). Constructive crit please, but nicer than you usually would. Coke-chan here has a hard time with it...-coughsodoi-**

**Thanks for reading, please review. They're what keeps us going! We're getting a bunch of story alerts instead, but those don't inspire us much… -.-****  
**


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